European plum named ‘92-95-99’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of European plum ( Prunus domestica ) cv. ‘92-95-99’ is described herein. The new variety ripens in late mid-season in the Delano, Calif. area with large, bright red fruit and firm flesh. Ripened fruit attains a very high level of sugar and holds in cold storage very well.

Genus and Species Prunus domestica.

Variety denomination: ‘92-95-99’.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention described here is a new variety of plum, Prunus domesticacv. ‘92-95-99’. The seedling originates from a planned cross in 1993 inTulare County, Calif. The new variety is characterized by having large,bright red elliptic fruits which ripen in mid-August in the Delano,Calif. area. The high quality fruit has firm texture, good storagecharacteristics, and is very sweet, making it suitable for the freshmarket.

The emasculated seed parent was the variety ‘Sugar’ (unpatented) and thepollen parent was the variety ‘President’ (unpatented). Seed from theplanned cross was harvested in the summer of 1993, stratified, thenplanted in the spring of 1994 in Kern County near the city of McFarland,Calif. The original tree was selected in 1996 and was then budded tonematode-resistant ‘Myrobalan 29C’ rootstock (unpatented) in a two treeplot (2 m×3 m spacing) near McFarland, Calif. In 1998, a forty tree plotwas cleft grafted from wood of the two tree plot and the original treeusing ‘Myrobalan 29C’ rootstock (unpatented) (3.7 m×3.7 m spacing) nearDelano, Calif. Observations of trees from these propagations indicatethat the characteristics are firmly fixed and all trees reproduced trueto type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTAL CULTIVAR

The new variety is intermediate in its characteristics between its twoparents. It ripens about one week later than ‘Sugar’ (unpatented) andtwo weeks before ‘President’ (unpatented) in the Delano area. The veryvigorous trees of this new variety are well adapted to the hot climateof the southern Central Valley of California.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying photographs illustrate the following:

FIG. 1 shows a close-up view of fruit and leaves of the variety.

FIG. 2 shows the harvested fruit and branch from the tree.

FIG. 3 shows fruit and leaves of the variety on a branch.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description of European plum ‘92-95-99’ containsreferences to color names taken from the Munsell Color Chart for PlantTissues, published by Munsell Color, New Windsor, N.Y. Descriptorsconform to the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources,Commission of European Communities: Committee on Disease ResistanceBreeding and Use of Genebanks, 1984. The characteristics listed belowwere obtained from the 10 year old original tree and the 6 year oldgrafted trees grown in the McFarland and Delano, Calif. area.

-   Tree:    -   -   Habit.—Upright.        -   Tree height.—3.5 m at 2 years of age.        -   Productivity.—Very productive, appears to require a            pollinizer. 6-year-old trees averaged 27.3 kg of fruit per            tree.        -   Rootstock.—Myrobalan 29C, nematode resistant (unpatented).-   Trunk:    -   -   Original tree trunk diameter.—Tree at 10 years in 0.6 m×3 m            row spacing=9.1 cm when measured at 1.2 m from the soil            surface.        -   Grafted tree trunk diameter.—Tree at 6 years in 2 m×3 m row            spacing on ‘Myrobalan 29C’ rootstock (unpatented)=6.1 cm            when measured at 45 cm from the soil surface.        -   Bark texture.—Very rough.        -   Trunk color.—5YR 4/6 to 4/8 (brown).        -   Trunk lenticel color.—5YR 6/10 (orange).        -   Trunk lenticel length.—5-7 mm.        -   Trunk lenticel number.—Variable: many sectors with none up            to 2 per square centimeter.-   Branches:    -   -   Branch diameter.—Diameter at 50 cm from crotch=3.6 cm.            (6-year-old trees at 2 m×3 m row spacing on ‘Myrobalan 29C’            rootstock).        -   Color of 1 year old wood.—5YR 4/4 to 4/6.        -   Color of 3 year old wood.—10R 5/2.        -   Texture of 3 year old wood.—Rough, though less so than            trunk.        -   Lenticels.—About 1 mm in diameter; approximately 12 per            square cm.        -   Lateral branching on first year branches.—Uncommon.        -   Branch length.—New shoot lengths range from 51-160 cm at end            of growing season on grafted trees.        -   Internode length.—2.7-3.7 cm on most portions of the stems            except toward the tips of the stems where internode length            is much shorter.-   Buds:    -   -   Observed bud hardiness.—No bud damage observed at 0 C.        -   Vegetative bud shape.—Conical.        -   Vegetative bud length.—6 mm.        -   Vegetative bud diameter.—3 mm.        -   Vegetative bud color.—10R 3/4.        -   Vegetative bud surface.—Sparsely pubescent.        -   Flower bud shape.—Conical.        -   Flower bud length.—3 mm.        -   Flower bud diameter.—1.5 mm.        -   Flower bud color.—10R 3/6.        -   Flower bud surface.—Glabrous, glossy.        -   Flower bud number.—Usually two per node.-   Leaves:    -   -   Leaf arrangement.—Alternate, one leaf per node. Most leaves            arise 120 degrees from the previous leaf, repeating            approximate stem position with every fourth leaf.        -   Blade length.—9.5 cm.        -   Blade width.—5.9 cm.        -   Petiole length.—3.0 cm.        -   Petiole diameter.—2 mm.        -   Petiole color.—2.5 GY 8/8.        -   Leaf shape.—Elliptic, margins cupped upward.        -   Leaf margins.—Crenate.        -   Teeth.—Rounded, one side convex, one concave; about 1 mm in            length.        -   Leaf apex.—Rounded to broadly acute.        -   Leaf base.—Oblique.        -   Upper surface color.—7.5GY 4/4 to 4/6 (dark green).        -   Lower surface color.—7.5GY 5/6 to 5/8 (dark green).        -   Upper leaf surface texture.—Very smooth, waxy.        -   Lower leaf surface texture.—Rough with veins being very            prominent, raised.        -   Erect hairs on veins of lower surface.—Numerous.        -   Erect hairs on upper surface.—Absent.        -   Erect hairs on upper surface of petiole.—Sparse.        -   Stipules.—None.        -   Glands.—None.-   Flowers:    -   -   Date of flowering in McFarland, Calif. (first flowers            dehisce).—Mar. 17, 2004.        -   Date of full bloom.—Mar. 22, 2004.        -   Date of last bloom.—Mar. 28, 2004.        -   Number of flowers per bud.—1-3.        -   Flower diameter.—18 mm.        -   Petal color (both upper and lower surfaces).—2.5GY 10/0.        -   Petal number.—5.        -   Petal length.—10 mm.        -   Sepal color.—5GY 7/8.        -   Sepal number.—5.        -   Sepal length.—7 mm.        -   Flower type.—Perfect.        -   Anther color.—5Y 8/12 (yellow).        -   Pollen color.—5Y 8/10 (yellow).        -   Carpels.—1-2 per flower.        -   Fertility.—Appears to be partially self-incompatible.        -   Fragrance.—Typical of European plums, faintly aromatic.-   Fruit:    -   -   Harvest maturity.—Mid-season. First harvest: Jul. 22, 2004.            Last harvest: Jul. 29, 2004.        -   Skin color.—2.5R 4/10 (bright red) with sectors 2.5Y 8/12            (yellow).        -   Flesh color.—7.5YR 7/12 (yellow-orange).        -   Length.—4.5 cm.        -   Width.—4.0 cm.        -   Weight.—52.2 g.        -   Refractometer test.—21.9 brix.        -   Pressure at harvest (penetrometer test).—13.3 lbs.        -   Configuration.—Oval.        -   Apex.—Rounded.        -   Pistil point.—Smooth.        -   Skin thickness.—Thin, typical of European plum.        -   Skin texture.—Smooth.        -   Tendency to crack.—None.        -   Juiciness of flesh.—Very juicy.        -   Flavor.—Mild and sweet, typical of European plum.        -   Aroma.—Mild.        -   Fruit flesh texture.—Crisp.        -   Fibers in flesh.—None.        -   Ripening.—Uniform throughout the fruit.        -   Eating quality.—Good.        -   Use.—Fresh market.        -   Keeping quality.—Good, fruit has held well in storage for            four weeks.        -   Shipping quality.—Good.-   Stone:    -   -   Stone adherence to flesh.—Clingstone.        -   Stone shape.—Elliptic with wings on either side of long            edge.        -   Fibers.—None.        -   Surface.—Rough.        -   Color.—5YR 5/8 to 5/10 (orangish brown).        -   Length.—2.5 cm.        -   Width.—1.6 cm.        -   Thickness.—0.7 cm.-   Kernel:    -   -   Kernel color.—5YR 5/6.        -   Kernel length.—18 mm.        -   Kernel width.—10 mm.        -   Viability.—Unknown.        -   Astringency.—None.        -   Amygdaline.—Has pleasant, pronounced almond flavor.-   Disease resistance: Typical of European plums; no problems seen in    the original tree or grafted plants in 10 years of observations.

1. A new and distinct variety of European plum plant named ‘92-95-99’herein described and illustrated.